35 h. ago Capitalism by Sven Beckert review – an extraordinary history of the economic system that controls our lives

The Harvard professor provides a ceaseless flow of startling details in this exhaustively researched, 1000-year account In the early 17th century, the Peruvian city of Potosí billed itself as the “treasure of the world” and “envy of kings”. Sprouting at the foot of the Cerro Rico, South America’s most populous settlement produced 60% of the world’s silver, which not only enabled Spain to wage its wars and service its debts, but also accelerated the economic development of India and China. The city’s wealthy elites could enjoy crystal from Venice and diamonds from Ceylon while one in four of its mostly indigenous miners perished. Cerro Rico became known as “the mountain that eats men”.The story of Potosí, in what is now southern Bolivia, contains the core elements of Sven Beckert’s mammoth history of capitalism: extravagant wealth, immense suffering, complex international networks, a world transformed. The Eurocentric version of capitalism’s history holds that it grew out of democrac...

Economics

37 h. ago Deck your garden with boughs of holly, a plant rich in symbolism and evergreen beauty

No doubt you’ve seen your share of hollies this month — in wreaths and boughs or perhaps on holiday cards and catalog covers

Politics

39 h. ago Russia and China pledge support for Venezuela as Trump ratchets up pressure on Maduro

Trump again called for Venezuela’s president to leave power and said the US would keep or sell the oil it had seizedChina and Russia have expressed support for Venezuela as it confronts a US blockade of sanctioned oil tankers, while Donald Trump continues to ramp up his pressure campaign on the South American country’s president, Nicolás Maduro.Amid reports of slowing activity at Venezuelan ports, the US president again called for Maduro to leave power, and reiterated that the US would keep or sell the oil it had seized off the coast of Venezuela in recent weeks. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago US seizes second vessel near Venezuela after Trump’s blockade threat

Trump has said that U.S. land strikes on the South American country could start soon

Politics

3 d. ago South Dakota hotel owner found liable for discrimination against Native Americans

A federal jury found the owners of the Grand Gateway Hotel in South Dakota liable for discrimination against Native Americans in a decision on Friday

Events

3 d. ago US intercepts second merchant vessel off coast of Venezuela in international waters

Move comes days after Trump announces ‘blockade’ of sanctioned oil tankers and US seizes tankerUS forces on Saturday stopped a second merchant vessel off the coast of Venezuela in international waters, according to two US officials, the Associated Press reported.The move comes days after Donald Trump announced a “blockade” of all sanctioned oil tankers coming in to and out of the South American country and follows the seizure by US forces of an oil tanker off Venezuela’s coast on 10 December. Continue reading...

Politics

3 d. ago US seizes second vessel near Venezuela after Trump’s blockade threat, reports say

Trump has said that U.S. land strikes on the South American country could start soon

Politics

4 d. ago US seizing second vessel off Venezuelan coast after Trump’s blockade threat, report says

Trump has said that U.S. land strikes on the South American country could start soon

Politics

4 d. ago US seizing second vessel off Venezuelan coast after Trump’s blockade threat, reports say

Trump has said that U.S. land strikes on the South American country could start soon

Politics

6 d. ago Trump's expanded travel ban hits Africa the hardest but reactions are muted

Africa has been the hardest hit by the Trump administration's expanded travel ban that includes 20 more countries

Politics

6 d. ago Some sanctioned oil vessels divert from Venezuela as Trump threatens blockade

Some oil vessels are diverting away from Venezuela after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened a “blockade” of sanctioned oil tankers entering or leaving the South American country

Politics

7 d. ago Sheinbaum urges UN to ‘prevent bloodshed’ after Trump orders Venezuela blockade

Mexican leader warns of conflict as US president targets sanctioned oil tankers entering and leaving VenezuelaWhat action is Trump taking against Venezuela’s oil industry?Mexico’s president, Claudia Sheinbaum, has urged the United Nations to “prevent any bloodshed” in Venezuela, as Donald Trump piled more pressure on the South American country.“The United Nations has been conspicuously absent. It must assume its role to prevent any bloodshed and to always seek the peaceful resolution of conflicts,” the leftwing president told reporters the morning after Washington announced a blockade of “sanctioned oil tankers” entering or leaving Venezuela. Continue reading...

Politics

8 d. ago Councillor stole £150,000 from mental health charity to spend on South American male prostitutes and crystal meth

The thefts were described by Judge Jonathan Dunply as a serious breach of trust to a number of vulnerable people as an employee of a charity.

Economics

9 d. ago Councillor stole £150,000 from mental health charity to spend on South American rent boys and crystal meth

The thefts were described by Judge Jonathan Dunply as a serious breach of trust to a number of vulnerable people as an employee of a charity.

Economics

9 d. ago How a trip on the new Amtrak train offers a new perspective of America’s Deep South

Jordan Reynolds hops on the twice-daily Amtrak Mardi Gras service to explore the region’s vibrant music, history and food

Politics

9 d. ago Trump’s approach to Venezuela repeats the mistakes of the past | Austin Sarat

Congress must work to stop the president from leading us further into a South American quagmireDonald Trump seems determined to have a military confrontation with Venezuela. He has deployed a massive military arsenal in and around the Caribbean Sea and taken a series of provocative actions off the Venezuelan coast, justifying it as necessary to stem the flow of drugs into the United States.The Council on Foreign Relations says that deployment includes an “aircraft carrier, destroyers, cruisers, amphibious assault ships, and a special forces support ship. A variety of aircraft have also been active in the region, including bombers, fighters, drones, patrol planes, and support aircraft.” This is the largest display of American military might in the western hemisphere since we invaded Panama in 1989.Austin Sarat, William Nelson Cromwell professor of jurisprudence and political science at Amherst College, is the author or editor of more than 100 books, including Gruesome Spectacles: Bot...

Politics

9 d. ago You’ve probably never heard of Mitchelville – but it might be the most important place you visit in South Carolina

On Hilton Head Island in the Deep South, Annabel Grossman visits one of the most significant, but often overlooked, historical sites in American history

Politics

1 week ago Scientists discover nine new species of butterfly from South America stored at London's Natural History Museum

Scientists discover nine new species of butterfly from South America stored at London's Natural History Museum  Phys.org

Culture

1 week ago Dorothy Parker ‘fwowed up’ in a 1928 review of which children’s classic? The Saturday quiz

From demon, equal and encyclopedia to The Tour of Life and Before the Dawn, test your knowledge with the Saturday quiz 1 Inflation adjusted, what is the highest-grossing film of all time?2 What was revamped in 1279, 1560, 1696, 1816 and 1971?3 Dorothy Parker “fwowed up” in a 1928 review of which children’s classic?4 Native to South America, what is the world’s largest bird of prey?5 Which fabric is protected by the orb certification mark?6 The Almanach de Gotha is a directory of what?7 Which amusement park was opened in Vienna in 1766?8 What British term for rare US R&B 45s was coined by Dave Godin?What links: 9 Năstase; Connors twice; Tanner; McEnroe twice?10 Menevia, c600; County Down, c460; Lydda, c303; Patras, c60?11 Choral by Beethoven; The Great by Schubert; From the New World by Dvořák?12 Reverend Joy Carroll Wallis; hotelier Donald Sinclair; US military surgeon Richard Hornberger?13 Demon; equal; encyclopedia; eon; fairy; medieval; primeval?14 The Tour of Life in 1979 an...

Politics

1 week ago Brit jailed in deadly South American prison says he has PTSD over what he saw inside

Pieter Tritton was jailed in a notorious prison for nine years and witnessed things he has never been able to recover from

Events